#sozo headcanons

[panoffrying]

My Dr. Sozonius LORE Headcanons

✨Warning this is a bit long✨

Sozo is a character that has lived for a very long time. Whatever that mushroom was on their head not only influenced Sozo but kept them immortal. We know really nothing bout Sozos past so I made some headcanons for silly fun and for me to visualize who Sozo was and what his life may have looked like. I want to do my best to keep this as game accurate as possible, so there will be quotes from the game. The quotes are not at all in order! I kinda just bring up random Sozo quotes as I go. Also I apologize if this doesn't make sense or if I ramble (I get excited about certain topics) 

thank you so much @7moonbird for going over and editing this for me, Love ya Pookie!

And so we start:

Sozonius was born in the days of the old faith. He was present the day the Bishops declared the genocide of the lambs and he actually played a big part in assisting the lambs survival. However, he almost got caught and had to stop helping the lambs to keep his family safe. He's never seen any of the bishops(maybe) but his village was part of Darkwood and therefore under Bishop Leshy’s ruling.

VILLAGE 

Sozonius village was mostly a colony of Carpenter Ants, there were a few other species living there too but it was mostly Carpenter Ants. I imagine there are different races of ants depending on the region they’re in; so there could be fire ants, pharaoh ants, and more! Most ants get along nicely and work together but sometimes other races of ants can be more temperamental and cause conflict between colonies. Carpenter ants are a more calm type of ants, they aren't aggressive but they are incredibly strong. Carpenters ants are known to live in trees; they hollow out trees to make their homes and they like to stay off the ground as much as possible in case of floods and other dangers.

In the colony they had their ruler, the “Queen,” who looked over the village and did queenly business (not gonna go too deep into it). Everyone had many different jobs, ants are hard workers and very strong. They made marvelous structures, farmed a lot of crops, and knew how to work together when there was a threat. Sozo’s village was one that many others would try making deals/trades with. I would talk more about his village but that's not why y’all are here lol. 

Sozonius was a fellow damn near everyone in the village knew. He loved his work and he loved to talk about it to anyone that expressed that they wanted to listen. He was that guy that you could get stuck in a conversation with and struggle to end it. He liked to ramble about his work and kids. Other than that though he never really started conversations with others, he would keep to himself unless someone interacted with him.

And I could definitely see him having a science rival but nothing too bad lol.

FAMILY

“Where am I…? Where is… my family…?”  are the words Sozo says when he turns back into Dr. Sozonius. I like to think he had a wife and two children. They didn’t have the best marriage but they made it work out for their two sons. His wife was a bit stubborn and very honest. She would say things before thinking which did cause issues, but Sozonius let it slide because he loved her so much and wanted a happy family for his sons. 

Sozonius was a very funny dude. He made dad jokes all the damn time, his family would pretend to hate the jokes but in reality they did love them. 

Sozo Dialogue “Now all Sozo can think about is mushrooms, mushrooms, MUSHROOMS… They don’t leave mush-room for anything else! Ha!”

(Also, this next idea is inspired off of @kuphulwho headcanons for Sozo. I loved her ideas and I recommend y'all look at her headcanons too!) Aside from Sozonius being a mycologist he had a side hobby of art! He wasn't the best artist, but he was really talented with sketching plants/fungi, he liked to make art of anything that interested him. He most likely wrote an educational picture book about Fungi, there's probably an old copy of it somewhere.

This art hobby caught the interest of his two sons, and they also started to pursue art. Sozonius would take his free time teaching his sons how to draw plants and such. Sozonius would hang his kids' art everywhere in their house, it was like walking into an art museum haha.

JOB

Sozonius studied mycology which means he studied fungi. Sozonius knew fungi could benefit his society and he wanted to help educate others about the importance of fungi. Soon he learned enough of a new discovery of mushroom people, neither plant nor animal…Sozonius then made the decision to go on a solo mission to study the Mushroomo people.

THE MUSHROOMOS 

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “My name is Dr. Sozonius. I was researching the Mushroomos that live in Spore Grotto… strange creatures, Neither animal nor plant…” 

Sozonius went to Spore Grotto and at first, he studied the Mushroomo people from a distance setting up a campsite near the Mushroomo Village. When the Mushroomo people discovered Sozonius they welcomed him into their home, cheerful happy little things. Sozonius was given the chance to learn more about these strange creatures up close! How could he say no? Sozonius was welcomed into Spore Grotto and was treated like a god. 

Sozonius asked the Mushroomos many questions, but getting any actual answers from them was difficult. The Mushroomos treated Sozonius like he was their most special guest, they danced and sang for Sozonius. They would mimic Sozonius and follow him around, making sure to do anything he asked of them. There would be many times when the Mushroomos would offer to feed Sozonius menticide mushrooms but Sozonius knew a lot about fungi and declined their offers. However, there seemed to be a special Ritual the Mushroomos took part in… 

Sozonius had been in Spore Grotto for many weeks now, it was time for him to leave, he had studied enough and was ready to return home but the Mushroomos were surprisingly sad when he announced this. They wanted to show Sozonius a sacred ritual to them before he left, he wasn't aware of the menticide mushrooms being part of it…

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “They gave me Menticide Mushrooms, and then… that’s the last thing I remember…”

After Sozonius was tricked into eating menticide mushrooms and also gave Sozonius a crown, a crown that would grow into Sozoniuss mind, he shall be the Mushroomos leader… And the new Sozo was made. (literally just think of Ice Age 2 when the lil sloths take Sid to be their fire king, however they don't sacrifice him)

The mushroom on Sozos head is very powerful, it makes me wonder what it is exactly, it gives the person wearing it immortality, but also causes the user to go insane (don't forget that Sozo is also being fed menticide mushrooms) the mushroom crown kinda reminds me of Chemachs crown. It seems to have a mind of its own and a face. I feel like the Mushroomos for days straight made sure to give Sozo a diet of only menticide mushrooms to make him forget everything and to possibly power the mushroom crown. They would constantly tell Sozo that his mind would be open and free, that it would make him feel better, and Sozo being under the influence of the mushroom listened to them.

A Mushroomo Dialogue "Once you taste the Menticide Mushroom your mind will be opened." 

As the years went by so did all the sanity Sozonius had left, but in some moments Sozonius seems to still be aware but not all there. 

Sozo Dialogue “Sozo had friends... Followers... family... now Sozo has mushrooms..."

Sozo over time seems to start to dislike his followers and call them liars. He even becomes quite cruel to his followers. Yet he also mentions that he trusts the lamb and wants the lamb to protect him from his followers which makes me believe that Sozonius is somehow a little aware and fighting against the mushroom crown’s influence. He is mad at the Mushroomos for lying to him, tricking him, making him into who he is now.

 Sozo Dialogue  “No need to thanks Sozo. Build it at your Cult then come back to me. Sozo shall grant you one last gift. Sozo is always fair. Always repays this debts. Not like those LIARS out there."

"You did it! Now I know I can trust you... not like those nasty liars outside. They are always watching, always listening! Here take this. You are Sozo's best friend, you are Sozo's only friend."

"Sozo can trust you now, Sozo will pledge himself to you! You will protect me from those liars outside and bring Sozo mushrooms!"

(Also a side note that my gf brought to my attention last second lol! Apparently parasitic mushrooms rely on insects to spread. That is probably why they tricked Sozonius into staying and eating menticide mushrooms. Maybe it's been that long since they've seen an insect)

SOZOS IMPRISONMENT

So, this next little headcanon of mine is an interesting one and might be confusing to explain. Was Sozonius imprisoned within his own mind while under the control of the mushroom crown? If he was, I can see him being stuck in a sort of loop, imagining his family and friends. Think like Mabel's Bubble from ‘Gravity Falls’ weirdmageddon. Sozonius is trapped in a mental bubble, stuck in a false reality as the now mushroom-infected Sozo takes over his body and actions. 

In Sozonius’s mental bubble he is in a place where trees are big, tall mushrooms and flowers are mushrooms, everywhere he turns its mushrooms. He knows something is wrong, everything is too strange, everyone he loves is there with him but is it real? It feels like he's living in a dream. Sozonius proceeds to talk to his friends and family as if they are actually there in which I noticed that Sozo will talk to the menticide mushrooms as if they are actual people.

Sozo Dialogue “Precious, perfect little mushrooms, Sozo is here now, Sozo will always be here…”

”Sozo is busy now… Sozo must commune with the ‘shrooms.”

As time passes more mushrooms grow in his mind prison, and they keep growing and growing until they start to grow on the people he loves. He knows something is happening, he's going mad, and he starts to search for an exit, he needs to escape this false reality that the mushroom crown has created for him. 

He starts fighting the mushroom crown’s hold on him which causes him to regain some awareness. This is when a part of him realizes he’s been tricked, and he starts refusing everything the Mushroomos give him and becomes cruel to them. However, the lambs have never done him wrong before and the lamb (from the cult) begins to be the only person he can trust. At least until it becomes too much and well… we know Sozo’s fate.

SOZO’S REVIVAL 

So Sozo doesn't get resurrected until all the bishops become mortal (at least in my playthrough)(I might change this to he was part of the cult before the bishops I’m not sure). So all the bishop siblings are in the cult and learning the ways of mortal stuff and Sozo appears around the same time, still the crazy Sozo we know and love. However, he’s still very addicted to the menticide mushrooms and both the Lamb and night workers have found Sozo digging through the mushroom crops like a lil racoon.

Based on the game, Sozo likes to run around the cult and do his own thing; he often looks very spaced out but the moment someone talks to him he starts spitting nonsense before yelling at them to go away. The only people Sozo will talk to are people that give Sozo what he wants, which is menticide mushrooms! If you do that for him he will talk your ear off with nonsense, in conversations with him he will often talk about his followers, them being liars and disgusting little creatures. One day though Sozo’s personality seems to change? He starts to tell the lamb,

 “Sozo was just here, all alone, thinking about mushrooms... Uh, Sozo means Sozo's little Mushroomo followers!”

”Yes,, they must be so lost without Sozo. They love Sozo! Everyone loves Sozo - especially Lamb!”

“Without their great and beloved Sozo, Mushroomos must be so scared... YOU! You must save them! Save them and bring them to Sozo.”

”They will be trapped in Anura. They are always getting captured when they don't have their great Sozo to protect them. Rescue them and bring them to me.”

But when you bring the followers to Sozo he ends up eating them. At first glance you can assume it's just his addiction, in which it most certainly could be! He sees a big mushroom and he's like oooo~ delicious but there's also a possibility of this being Dr. Sozonius’s anger coming out. The whole fighting against the mushroom crown’s influence and realization that he’s been tricked. Maybe a mix of his addiction and anger for what they did to him? I’m not too sure if Sozo eating the Mushroomos was a problem before he joined the cult.

Of course, this addiction must be stopped so the lamb decides enough is enough and refuses to get more Mushroomos. This causes Sozo to dissent and, with little choice, the Lamb has to put him in rehab. I imagine it would’ve been a struggle getting Sozo to the prison without the Red Crown’s help. With the power of an ant that is Sozo’s size it's a miracle he didnt break that pillory while he was in it. Sozo just stayed silent and didn't fight; the person he had put his trust and hope in has imprisoned him. Sozo is a bit depressed at that moment. 

After Sozo has been re-educated, released, and cured of his addiction the mushroom crown finally falls off his head. Which, like I said before, makes me wonder, was it being powered by the menticide mushrooms Sozo has been eating or is it something else?

But Dr. Sozonius talks about some stuff before saying,

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “I can’t help but feel that I have you to thank for… something. You have my loyalty, I will remain here and serve you. Please, take this!”

Sozonius was ready to live his life rather than reunite with his family in the afterlife. He wasn't expecting to be resurrected after dying in the cult from old age. But Sozonius gave the lamb their loyalty and promised to stay in the cult and serve them. The Lamb had been so kind as to give Sozonius an immortality necklace, the Lamb didn’t want Sozonius to go yet… and Sozo’s heart was too kind and soft. He will have to wait a bit longer to return home to his family, but maybe some good things will come out of staying longer~

Also! Who do we think Sozo was talking to? 

A Mushroomo Dialogue "Who is Sozo talking to when he whispers in the dark...?"

Is he talking to himself? The mushrooms? Or the Fox?

[voidheartkisses]

Huge contrast from what they used to be

[ratcandy]

putting my entomology lessons to good use

[noxer]

I love Swap!AUs when it's just a role change, but the character is completely intact. So that's what I mean. Although I prefer to think of the Goat as a literal living shadow of the Lamb, who didn't exist as a real being until they summoned them through some convoluted ritual. Still! The idea of ​​the Goat coming from another world is also very interesting. I've seen many interpretations of the Bishops, and they're all fascinating. But if Shamura was trapped in the Goat universe, you know what else that means? That Helob could be in Ratau's place. I can literally picture him giving some advice on how to run a cult, and then always, ALWAYS adding "in a pinch, you can always just eat them :)" That's probably why Shamura got theirs crown taken away from him, but he's not too upset. He'd rather hunt than lead a flock (though, all things considered, it's more like an army in this case). And, to continue that line of thought, Sozo could be in Ratoo's place, but instead of a heart, he's literally searching for his own mind (or even his brain, maybe?). He can still offer Goat healing. "Sozo finds a lot of things. Eyes, spleens, ears, ligaments, hearts. Everything except his own mind. Sozo lost that long ago." And the Knucklebones gang is replaced by the rest of the Arthropod gang (Monch, Plimbo, Rakshasa).

[braverynight]

Shamura and Sozo are such a fun ship because both of them have some sort of brain related tramua and then they find each other like

“You too?!”

And then they make out

Or not, I do like asexual Shamura HC

Also also:

Shamura: I have to find my darling husband! I’m so worried about him

The Lamb: Seriously… what do you see in that guy?

Shamura: He makes me laugh

[theweirdowhowantstobeamangaka]

Another CotL Headcanon for Ya: Focalor likes to sing karaoke at Rakshasa's restaurant, but he is so tone deaf that his friends (including Lamb, Goat, Bishops, Sozo and Ratau) who are forced to accompany him are fed up every time.

[losersalad]

hey guys...leans on wall and clicks tongue while doing finger guns Sozo randomly said he would rip the lambs head off during your first encounter and I'm wondering if he was referencing your decapitation in the beginning of the game sips on sprite

[viaviv124]

Hear me out

Shamura and Sozo except aroace queerplatonic relationship

Thank you for listening

[resquices-of-godhood]

Beware of the mushrooms, for they affect more than the mind. Dr. "Sozo" Sozonius and the mushroomos.

Dr. Sozonius was once a vessel for Shamura during the early days after the Bishops betrayed The One Who Waits. It happened while They of Might was recovering from the near fatal wound received in the battle.

Dr. Sozonius cared for the cult of War for a good part of a century before returning the crown to his god, as it was stated to be the only way for them to recover. Later on, he remained as a scholar of the cult.

During that time, Dr. Sozonius had to defend the cult from the often incursions of Witness Aries into the territories of the Old Faith, which he did well thanks to the Purple Crown's War domain helping bolster his combat skills, but he would otherwise occupy himself with scholar work when possible.

After returning the crown, he threw himself into being a scholar with unmatched passion, helping catalog everything he could to help his god's declining mental capacity. That is, until he found one of Shamura's many hidden libraries, with Heket finding him there soon after.

With Shamura's mental acuity fading, they found themselves confused quite often in the early days, while the purple crown was still getting itself rooted to its bearer to help recover their mind. So, when approached by Heket saying she found someone in one of their forbbiden libraries, they just gave her free reign to deal with the culprit, failing to recognize who the ant she was carrying on her arm was. Had they recognized Dr. Sozonius, things would have gone very differently.

Heket sentenced him to death, but Dr. Sozonius managed to escape his cell the night before, and so he ran into the wilderness, where he met the curious mushroomos.

Because they were all alway from the Old Faith's lands, he decided to stay with them and learn about who and what they are. He was close to figuring out that those beings are actually mortals that overdosed on menticide, but ended up suffering the same fate himself.

Or at least would have suffered the same fate, if he wasn't a former crown bearer. A strange interaction of the mushrooms, the Resquices of Godhood and his species unique interactions with fungi (namely, fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which famously hijack ants' minds and turn them into something akin to a zombie), he ended up going through a different transformation, becoming Sozo.

As Sozo, he finds himself consuming more and more menticide, going further into overdose and essentially dying, before being reborn from the spores again, a cycle that repeats itself roughly once every two centuries, which is unique to his circumstances. By the time Leoda came around, he was on his 5th cycle of death and rebirth.

And that's when Leoda's cycle breaking nature comes into play, as Sozo came back from his last death much faster than usual because his spores were planted in the cult of Death's farmland, and after consuming the first mushroomo that was brough to the cult, he was denied a second serving, which resulted in the whole process of being imprisoned and reeducated.

That's when Dr. Sozonius returns to who he was. At that point, the Bishops were already in the cult, so, a catch up later, a more lucid Shamura clarifies that, had they known it was the ant doctor that was in their library, they wouldn't have told Heket to dispose of him. From then on, Dr. Sozonius remained in the cult.

Dr. Sozonius got the second pair of arms as the characteristic passed down from Shamura by the crown. When he recovered (forcefully) from the menticide infestation, he was weakened and visibly aged from all the nutrients the fungus had taken from him. It took a long treatment and carefully balanced dieting to return him to what he should be, had he not been infected.

He also didn't seem to have learned from the past at a first glance, as he took to study menticide in specific. Of course, he doesn't get as close in contact with the fungus, and refuses to consume it even during the brainwashing ritual (one of the few Leoda allow not to) to avoid being infected again. He also studies and helps with the care of the mushroomo followers that were now available to join the cult.

Mushroomos are, as explained early, mortals that overdosed on menticide, essentially dying and having their bodies consumed and taken over by the fungus. They are essentially sentient fungal colonies with remnants of the host's personality.

[pessimisticshapewithablog]

The statue...

If this statue is something Sozo designed I wonder what that says about how he percieved his relationship with menticide mushrooms. Literally a coffin, or a means of rebirth? Maybe both? Like a chrysalis?

So I looked into the pose Sozo is doing and I learned that this is pose for the male dead that originated in Egypt. Apparently it is called the Osiris Pose. It was originally reserved for pharaohs and if a pharaoh's statue was every built in this pose it meant he was already deceased at it's construction. Also peep the color of the goop that makes up sozo? It's blue. Sozo's color palate is devoid of cooler tones aswell his grotto, Anura and menticide mushrooms. What could it mean..?

With Heket being named after Egyptian goddess, I wonder if Anura is "Egyptian" coded. Sozo's grotto doesn't seem to be  in Anura but the flora is almost identical. I wonder if Sozo is from Anura. I have a headcanon that he is but his statue could imply that he was canonically Sozo's name is Greek but I learned irl that Egypt and Greece have historically had strong political ties. Enough that they influenced each other culturally...

But also maybe Sozo's consciousness continues to live on within the menticide mushrooms mycelial network. IRL there is ongoing study on whether mushrooms can "think". The part of mushroom we don't see, the mycelial network, is like one large brain:

"The network of mycelium acts similar to human brains, in the way that mycelium is used to send electrical signals to the fruiting bodies of mushrooms. These electrical signals can be used to convey information or warn about incoming danger."

Sozo's mushroom is growing from his brain. Although I don't think the partnership was mutually beneficial. Menticides seem to function very much like cordyceps. In a world of talking, thinking animals, I'm sure the plants (fungus aren't plants but let me cook lol) would have some thoughts of their own too. Maybe Sozo was chosen, like the lamb, to be a vessel to a god? His mushroom has a face on it just like the giant one above his grove...

[panoffrying]

Memories

PART 1

PART 2

So sorry for my messy handwriting but here is the first half of this comic. I will be making my full head-canons for Sozo soon. (Also sorry for bad dialogue I’m not really good with writing but hang with me lol)

I like to imagine that he was born in the Old Faith days and did witness the Lamb Massacre.

[voidheartkisses]

I always felt there was something deeply sinister about these mushroomos and I couldn't quite figure out why

and I think now I have a theory.

On the map in spore grotto there is a giant carcass with a mushroom on its head, it is almost identical to sozos parasitic mushroom

It can be assumed that this was some kind of ancient god, since there were hundreds of gods before the old faith was established.

Mushrooms use patterns of electrical pulses to communicate, they work as a hive mind. Maybe it's possible that these mushroomos need a leader to sustain themselves, they need a "mind" to their hive. The old god is dead, it's possible sozo could've been given the mushrooms on purpose with the intent of making him their new 'mind' since the mushroom on his head is almost identical to the mushroom of the old god.

Then there's his ingame dialogue:

”My name is Dr Sozonius. I was researching the Mushroomos that live in Spore Grotto… strange creatures, neither animal nor plant…”

”They gave me Menticide Mushrooms, and then… that’s the last thing I remember…”

proof that the mushroomos gave him the mushrooms.

They could've been well just continued to feed him and make him crave them so they could have order in their ecosystem.

And then when sozo dies it also made me like?? the fact that you can bring back sozo by replanting the mushroom just shows that it has similar properties to the crown (resurrection) so it likely did belong to that old god.

This last bit is kind of a stretch but this dialogue always made me curious

Could he be talking to the previous leaders infected by this mushroom? That or he thinks hes talking to the family he used to have.

all just a theory!

[ratcandy]

this is really random but i stare at the game's sprites a lot. like its an actual hobby of mine to collect images of my interests and just stare at them. Autism moments, idk. anyways while i was doing this i was thinking. sozo's clothes look like a form-fitting union suit with cutoffs. like it seems to be a one piece. the closure in the middle,, goes all the way down. y'know, like a union suit. which i can only assume means it could likely have... an ass flap. strolling around the treacherous mushroom forest of anura in basically pajamas. Imagine.

(of course i'd assume in-universe its not considered pajamas, and is prob made with durable materials that are more suited for travel but)

im so sorry that im sending This in your asks. its so dumb lmao

No you see this just give credence to my idea that he's got an abdomen back there and therefore makes all my drawings canon Sozo design for real on god . Obviously he needs an ass flap he needs to be able to wear something that allows room for his Abdomen. Obviously. Duh. Makes complete sense

Also he's an old man who decided it was a smart idea to go wandering into the fucked up and evil mushroom forest full of cultists that's owned by the God of Famine . Why would he NOT go the extra mile to show his Recklessness and only wear pajamas . it's a statement. Not necessarily a fashion one, but one of Pride. /j

or sure maybe it's a more durable type for travel. If he's a coward./j /j

[incorrectcultofthelambquotes]

I talked about headcanon birthdays so lets go!

Lamb: August 11th, release date of Cult of the Lamb

Narinder: November 2nd, Días los Muertos, AKA Day of the Dead

Leshy: June 21st, Summer Solstice / Kuppala Night (thanks @poppy-purpura for the idea!)

Heket: September 4th, Black Tuesday

Kallamar: April 12th, Polio vaccine goes public

Shamura: July 28th, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, starting WW1

Ratau: April 4th (National Rat Day)

Ratoo: February 14th, self explanatory, I'm very creative

Forneus: August 17th (National Black Cat Day)

Sozo: October 15th (National Mushroom Day)

Midas: July 9th, 79 being the atomic number of gold

Baal: September 27th, 7 being the number associated with Apollo

Aym: September 26th, the feast day of Saint Cosmas and Damien, the patron saints of twins, also, a major myth if Artemis is her making 6 wishes

[cultofsnowfall]

The Lamb, Shamura, and Narinder/TOWW are already in the works! I plan to eventually do all of the major NPCs and then move onto my original characters! Whichever has the most votes I’ll do first and so forth!

[olliewesker]

So since I feel like it, here's what COTL characters' entrance themes would be if they were professional wrestlers

Lambert

Living In The Light - Ridiculon

Narinder

Teardrops - Bring Me The Horizon

Shamura

Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie

Kallamar

Coming Undone - Korn

Heket

Bad Things - Jace Everett

Leshy

Copperhead Road - Steve Earle

Ratau and/or The Knucklebones Crew

The Good Life - WWE Music

Sozo

KK Hypno - Nintendo